Portuguese President, Marcelo Rebelo de Souza, recently addressed concerns about the canceled visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Portugal, explaining the reasons behind the apparent misunderstanding.
According to reports by Euractiv, President de Souza clarified that the visit was never officially confirmed, which means there was no formal cancellation.
"We cannot talk about cancellation because the visit was never confirmed. It was a multi-country initiative that was obviously studied but not finally confirmed," President de Souza stated.
He mentioned that the confirmation of President Zelensky's visit was impeded by security concerns due to the ongoing war situation in Ukraine.
Portuguese Defense Minister Nuno Melu had previously indicated that preparations were underway for President Zelensky's visit to Portugal, although specific details about the timing and program were not disclosed.
On May 17, President Zelensky was scheduled to visit Spain to meet with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and sign a new bilateral security agreement.
However, media outlets reported on May 15 that President Zelensky had canceled his visits to both Spain and Portugal due to escalating tensions at the front.
The Office of the President of Ukraine later confirmed that all international events involving President Zelensky were postponed due to the critical situation at the front lines.
